A person who reads a book will usually devote some time to reading it, therefore, absorbing the information sequentially, word by word, paragraph by paragraph, page by page.

As for online reading, the situation is just the opposite. People rarely allocate special time for this activity. Rather they find an online article accidentally, sometimes even in spite of their intentions. If the headline or the first few introductory sentences seem interesting to a person, they can devote a certain amount of time to read the post and maybe even look through the other materials posted on your blog.

That is why it’s so important to attract a reader’s attention from the very first second, “hooking” him by means of design. Yes, it’s the design that makes the first impression. Check-out the TOP 7 tips on how to improve a blog design.

The Proper Use of Space

Take the advantage of the prominent places on your blog:

• A space between the header and the content of the blog. Here you can place a greeting or a description. Also, you can install a plug-in that will allow you to put valuable prompts depending on the search query that varies depending on how the user got to your blog.
• A space between the post and the comments. It is considered as a zone of choice. After reading the post, the visitor will have to decide whether to leave the blog or to comment on it. Here, your task is to keep him on the blog by putting links to interesting related articles either manually or using a special plug-in. If the main purpose of the blog is to generate profits from advertising, it is logical to place advertising blocks here.
• Side panels. At the top, you can place RSS-subscription and subscription to e-mail updates. Try to put the most effective information on the side panels. It can be a list of categories, meta tags, ad units, etc – whatever you want. In addition, be sure to put links to the most important articles and to the blog archive. This could help to increase your number of page views.
• Headline. This is the first thing a visitor sees. If it is full of advertising, it is quite difficult to remember. Try to leave this place free of graphic ad units.

Increase the Font Size of Headers and Texts

People have a habit of scanning the content, perceiving the information from the sub-headings, and stopping only if something in these summaries catches their attention. Considering this, you should help visitors by increasing the size of the headings and subheadings. Thus, your posts will not only be easier to read but also look professional.

The main task performed by the font is readability. Choose the most readable font. Note that it’s not about the category of fonts – it’s all about the size.

The optimal font size for today is 16 px.

Increase indentations

This principle states that it is necessary to use a large distance between the content and the edge of the page, at least, 20 pixels. Please ensure a clear distinction between the text and the other elements and make the line shorter and, therefore, easier to read.

Here are some tips on how and where to use reasonable indentations:

• Around images (not less than 20 px) and before subtitles.
• Before and after quotes.
• The spacing between paragraphs may coincide with the page’s line height.

Use more free space around the elements of the blog, since it greatly increases the perception of your blog by visitors.

Add Contrast

Don’t use light gray text font on the blog. Yes, it looks nice, but it creates problems for people with low vision and those who read using mobile devices and displays with low resolution. Set a sharp contrast between a background and content of a page (it can be a white background and black letters, for example).

Remove Unnecessary Distractions

Since the main purpose of the blog is to acquaint visitors with its content, try to reduce the number of graphic elements around the main content. Excessive graphics looks annoying and distracting. Leave only those graphic elements which are really necessary.

Test the Correctness of Display on Mobile

Let’s face it: to date, a website that has not been optimized for mobile devices cannot be considered a usable one. If you still have not tested your website on different devices, do it as soon as possible, and preferably both on Apple and Android. Photos shouldn’t be cut; text shouldn’t look too long.

Check the Navigation System

The date of publication attached to the post allows users to navigate through the content of the blog by months or years. If you write about design trends, reviews of technologies, or anything else depending on the date, then chronological navigation really makes sense. However, it is not always necessary. Examine your content. If you write about things that do not change during time, you can absolutely refuse to navigate through time.

Search for other ways to organize content based on your theme. Categories will never go out of style. For example, if your blog highlights an art, you can make the design in such a way that people will be able to view your messages by artist or artistic style mentioned in each post.

Use the above mentioned tips for improving the design of your blog and you’ll definitely get the visible results sooner.

In what ways can you improve your blog’s design?

Please share in the comments below!

Brian Jens is someone who knows how to stay on the crest of a wave. He’s one of logo design contest inspirers. Brian is deeply involved in the design and blogging. He also covers all the related topics, being attracted by up-to-date technologies and scientific breakthroughs.

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